Variable hood apparatus

ABSTRACT

Proposed is a variable hood apparatus. The variable hood apparatus includes a support holder fixed to a wall, a rotation holder configured to be rotatable around a vertical axis of rotation while being supported by the support holder, an arm portion supported by the rotation holder and configured to be capable of performing a three-dimensional movement, a foldable hood mounted on an end portion of the arm portion, the foldable hood being configured to be unfolded while being used and to be folded while being not used, an exhaust pipe which is connected to the foldable hood and which extends to an outside, and an exhaust mechanism configured to generate an airflow which is formed inside the exhaust pipe and which is in a direction toward the outside, thereby inducing a negative pressure in the foldable hood.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2021-0032319, filed Mar. 11, 2021, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a variable hood apparatus. Moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to a variable hoodapparatus that can perform a three-dimensional movement such that moreefficient exhaust can be performed by bringing the variable hoodapparatus closer to a point where odors and gas are generated.

Description of the Related Art

Odors or harmful gas, such as fine dust, carbon monoxide, carbondioxide, and the like, generated during heating and cooking a food is acontamination source contaminating indoor air, and is not good for thehealth of an indoor occupant and may cause discomfort to the indooroccupant. Therefore, indoor spaces are required to be frequentlyventilated. However, in practice, ventilation of indoor spaces is ofteninsufficient.

Meanwhile, a hood for a kitchen is a ventilation apparatus configured todischarge smoke or odors as well as harmful gas generated during cookingto the outside, and is mounted above a heating source such as a gasstove, an induction range, and the like. For example, such a hood is anapparatus including a casing, an intake fan, a filter, a duct, and thelike that are configured to receive gas. Further, the hood is configuredto drive the intake fan so as to suction the gas, and is configured toexhaust the suctioned gas through the duct.

However, a conventional hood has a disadvantage in that gas is notefficiently suctioned since the conventional hood is far from a heatingsource. In other words, harmful gas generated from a gas stove, odorsgenerated from a frying pan, and the like are not completely removed.When the intake fan is rotated at high speed, a removal rate of gasincreases, but there is a problem that mechanical noise is generated.

In order to solve these problems, Korean Patent Application PublicationNo. 10-2009-0081262 (HOOD FOR KITCHEN) has been disclosed. The disclosedhood for the kitchen includes: a main cover mounted on a first side of asink so as to be positioned above a gas stove, the main cover having afront surface of a first side of a lower end portion thereof providedwith a controller, and the main cover having an upper surface of thefirst side thereof formed with an exhaust port; an auxiliary covermounted on the front surface of a second side of the main cover so as tobe in communication with the upper surface of the main cover; an exhaustfan mounted in the exhaust port that is formed on the upper surface ofthe first side of the main cover, the exhaust fan being connected to thecontroller; a vertical movement mechanism having a lower end thereofconnected to the second side of the lower end of the main cover andhaving an upper end thereof connected to an upper end portion of theauxiliary cover, thereby being connected to the controller; and anintake mechanism having opposite side surfaces connected to the verticalmovement mechanism, the intake mechanism being configured to move up anddown as the vertical movement mechanism connected to the controller isoperated.

However, the disclosed hood for the kitchen has a limitation that theintake mechanism is moved in the vertical direction only. For example,the intake mechanism cannot move in a horizontal direction. Therefore,in a kitchen where a plurality of heating sources is mounted, it isdifficult to use the disclosed hood for the kitchen.

In addition, since a motor for rotating a fan is disposed at a lower endportion of the intake mechanism, loud noise is generated while using themotor. Particularly, since the motor is positioned adjacent to a heatingsource, the fan is also heated together with a food by the heatingsource.

DOCUMENT OF RELATED ART

-   (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Application Publication No.    10-2009-0081262 (HOOD FOR KITCHEN)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made keeping in mind theabove problems occurring in the related art, and an objective of thepresent disclosure is to provide a variable hood apparatus capable ofadjusting a three-dimensional position of a hood so that a usablephysical range of the hood is wide, the variable hood apparatus beingcapable of being folded and being in close contact with one side whenthe foldable hood is not used, and the variable hood apparatus beingcapable of operating with low noise.

In order to achieve the above objective of the present disclosure, thereis provided a variable hood apparatus including: a support holder fixedto a wall; a rotation holder configured to be rotatable around avertical axis of rotation while being supported by the support holder;an arm portion supported by the rotation holder and configured to becapable of performing a three-dimensional movement; a foldable hoodmounted on an end portion of the arm portion, the foldable hood beingconfigured to be unfolded while being used and to be folded while beingnot used; an exhaust pipe which is connected to the foldable hood andwhich extends to an outside; and an exhaust mechanism configured togenerate an airflow which is formed inside the exhaust pipe and which isin a direction toward the outside, thereby inducing a negative pressurein the foldable hood.

In addition, the support holder may be provided with a vertical holewhich extends in a vertical direction and which has a predeterminedinner diameter, wherein the rotation holder may include: a fitting shaftfitted into the vertical hole such that the fitting shaft is axiallyrotatable; and a support bracket connected to the fitting shaft via aconnector, the support bracket being formed in a semicircular diskshape, and the support bracket having a first through-hole and aplurality of second through-holes disposed at equal angle intervalsaround the first through-hole, wherein the arm portion may include: afirst arm supported by the support bracket such that the first arm isrotatable up and down, the first arm having an extension end portionthereof provided with an arm connecting pin; a second arm linked to thearm connecting pin of the first arm and configured to be rotatable; anda third arm which is connected to an end portion of the second arm via ajoint portion and which extends in a longitudinal direction, the thirdarm having an extension end portion thereof coupled to the foldablehood, wherein an end portion of the first arm may be formed with asupport pin hole corresponding to the first through-hole, and may beformed with an angle pin hole corresponding to the plurality of secondthrough-holes, wherein the support pin hole may enable a support pin topass therethrough while the support pin hole and the first through-holeare aligned, and the angle pin hole may enable an angle maintaining pinto pass therethrough while the angle pin hole and selected secondthrough-hole are aligned.

In addition, the exhaust pipe may be a flexible bellows, an extensionend portion of the exhaust pipe may be provided with a fixing block thatis capable of being fitted into and fixed to a window frame, and theexhaust mechanism may include a blower and an air guiding pipe which isconnected to the blower and inserted into an inside of the exhaust pipe,the air guiding pipe being configured to eject air supplied from theblower to the inside of the exhaust pipe.

In addition, a venturi portion may be further provided inside theexhaust pipe, and the air guiding pipe may be disposed on a downstreamof the venturi portion.

In addition, the foldable hood may include: a head portion linked to anend portion of the third arm and connected to the exhaust pipe; and awing portion connected to a lower portion of the head portion, the wingportion being configured to guide gas to be exhausted to the headportion by being unfolded while being used, and the wing portion beingfolded while being not used.

In addition, the wing portion may include a plurality of split wingshinge-connected to the head portion and configured to be rotatable upand down, the plurality of split wings being configured such thatopposite end portions in a side direction thereof are in close contactwith each other while being rotated upward, thereby maintaining anunfolded state.

In addition, the wing portion may include: a plurality of fixing ribswhich is fixed to the head portion and which extends in a radialdirection around the head portion, and which is spaced apart from eachother by predetermined intervals; a plurality of rotation ribsrespectively pin connected to the plurality of fixing ribs andconfigured to be rotatable up and down; a plurality of rib fixingmechanisms configured to enable the plurality of rotation ribs tomaintain an unfolded state when the plurality of rotation ribs isrotated upward; and a heat-resistant light permeable fabric fixed to theplurality of fixing ribs and the plurality of rotation ribs, theheat-resistant light permeable fabric being configured to be unfoldedwhile the plurality of rotation ribs is rotated upward, thereby guidingthe gas to be exhausted to the head portion.

In addition, the plurality of rib fixing mechanisms may include: aplurality of arcuate-shaped rods having a predetermined curvature andrespectively fixed to the plurality of rotation ribs; a plurality ofratchet fingers respectively mounted on the plurality of arcuate-shapedrods, the plurality of ratchet fingers being configured to be rotatable;and a plurality of locking tubes supported by the head portion andproviding a plurality of passages through which the plurality ofarcuate-shaped rods respectively passes, the plurality of locking tubesbeing configured such that inner portions of the passages arerespectively provided with a plurality of toothed portions, and theplurality of toothed portions being configured to be locked on theplurality of ratchet fingers, respectively, such that the plurality ofrotation ribs is prevented from being moved downward.

The variable hood apparatus of the present disclosure configured asdescribed above is capable of adjusting the three-dimensional positionof the hood, so that a usable physical range of the hood is wide. Inaddition, when the foldable hood is not used, the foldable hood isfolded and is in close contact with one side, so that a using region ofa kitchen may be more widely provided. In addition, since a fan forexhausting is not used, there is no noise caused by a rotation of thefan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of thepresent disclosure will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a configuration and a use method of avariable hood apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view separately illustrating thevariable hood apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a hood and an exhaust pipe in the variablehood apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows (A) to (C) which are partial cross-sectional views forexplaining various exhaust methods that can be applied to the variablehood apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views for explaining a configuration and an operationof a foldable hood that can be applied to the variable hood apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views for explaining a configuration and an operationof another type of the foldable hood that can be applied to the variablehood apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views for explaining a configuration of still anothertype of the foldable hood that can be applied to the variable hoodapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedin detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a configuration and a use method of avariable hood apparatus 30 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view separatelyillustrating the variable hood apparatus 30. In addition, FIG. 3 is aview illustrating a hood and an exhaust pipe in the variable hoodapparatus 30. FIGS. 4A to 4C are partial cross-sectional views forexplaining various exhaust methods that can be applied to the variablehood apparatus 30.

As illustrated in the drawings, the variable hood apparatus 30 isapplied to a kitchen 11 on which a sink 12, a gas stove 13, and so onare mounted, and is configured to discharge odors and harmful gasgenerated during cooking a food using the gas stove 13 to the outside.This variable hood apparatus 30 includes a support holder 31, a rotationholder 33, an arm portion, a foldable hood 40, an exhaust pipe 40, andan exhaust mechanism.

The support holder 31 is fixed to a first side of a wall 11 a of thekitchen 11, and has a vertical hole 31 a. The vertical hole 31 a is avertical hole having a predetermined inner diameter, and supports afitting shaft 33 a such that the fitting shaft 33 a that will bedescribed later is axially rotatable. The support holder 31 is mountedaround the gas stove 13. In addition, since the fitting shaft 33 a canbe disassembled from the vertical hole 31 a, at least two verticalholders 31 may be mounted, and the variable hood apparatus 30 can beused while changing a position of the variable hood apparatus 30.

The rotation holder 33 is a member rotatable with respect to a virtualvertical axis of rotation while being fitted to the support holder 31,and includes the fitting shaft 33 a, a connector 33 b, and a supportbracket 33 d.

The fitting shaft 33 a is a round bar-shaped member inserted into thevertical hole 31 a, and is axially rotatable while being inserted intothe vertical hole 31 a. In addition, the fitting shaft 33 a can befreely disassembled from the vertical hole 31 a.

The connector 33 b is a member which is formed integrally with an upperend portion of the fitting shaft 33 a and which is connecting thefitting shaft 33 a to the support bracket 33 d. By the connector 33 b,the fitting shaft 33 a and the support bracket 33 d are spaced apartfrom each other by a predetermined distance.

The support bracket 33 d is provided with two sheets of semicirculardisks 33 h, and provides an accommodating space 33 e. The accommodatingspace 33 e is a space in which a first end portion of a first arm 35that will be described later is accommodated. Each of the semicirculardisks 33 h has a first through-hole 33 f and second through-holes 33 g.The first through-hole 33 f is a hole that is formed in thesubstantially central portion of each of the semicircular disks 33 h. Inaddition, each of the second through-holes 33 g is a hole that isdisposed in a circumferential direction of a circle having the firstthrough-hole 33 f as a center. A support pin 34 a is fitted into thefirst through-hole 33 f, and an angle maintaining pin 34 b is fittedinto the second through-hole 33 g. A detailed description thereof willbe described later.

The rotation holder 33 having the structure described above is rotatablein left and right directions by using the fitting shaft 33 a as a rotaryshaft while the rotation holder 33 is fitted to the support holder 31.

The arm portion is supported by the rotation holder 33, and is capableof performing a three-dimensional movement. Further, the arm portionincludes the first arm 35, a second arm 36, and a third arm 37. Thethree-dimensional movement is a movement which can move the foldablehood 40 in all directions that are front-rear, left-right, and up-downdirections.

The first arm 35 is a rod-shaped member which has the first end portionthereof inserted into and supported by the accommodating space 33 e andwhich extends in a longitudinal direction. Further, the first endportion of the first arm 35 has a support pin hole 35 a and an angle pinhole 35 c, and a second end portion of the first arm 35 has an armconnecting pin 35 e. The arm connecting pin 35 e is a round-bar shapedmember for connecting the second arm 36 to an end portion of the firstarm 35.

The support pin hole 35 a is a hole through which the support pin 34 apasses while the support pin hole 35 a and the first through-hole 33 fare aligned. The first arm 35 is rotatable in the up and down directionswith respect to the support pin 34 a. In addition, the angle pin hole 35c is a hole through which the angle maintaining pin 34 b passes whilethe angle pin hole 35 c and the selected second through-hole 33 g arealigned. By using the angle maintaining pin 34 b, the first arm 35 maybe maintained to a required angle. Which second through-hole 33 g isselected from among three of the second through-holes 33 g is determinedby a user.

The second arm 36 is a rod-shaped member which is linked to the armconnecting pin 35 e of the first arm 35 and which is rotatable by usingthe arm connecting pin 35 e as the center of rotation. A link hole 36 ainto which the arm connecting pin 35 e is fitted is provided in a firstend portion of the second arm 36, and a joint portion 36 c connected tothe third arm 37 is provided on a second end portion of the second arm36.

The third arm 37 is a member connected to the second arm 36 via thejoint portion 36 c, and an end portion of the third arm 37 has a hoodcoupling hole 37 a. The hood coupling hole 37 a enables a hinge pin 41 bto pass therethrough while the hood coupling hole 37 a is insertedbetween upper fixing hinges 41 a. The third arm 37 is connected to thefoldable hood 40 via the hinge pin 41 b.

Meanwhile, the foldable hood 40 is a hood having a structure which isconnected to an end portion of the third arm 37 and which is unfoldedwhile being used and which is folded while being not used. That is,during cooking, the foldable hood 40 is disposed above the gas stove 13while being in the unfolded state, and is folded when the foldable hood40 is not needed. A basic function of the foldable hood 40 is the sameas a basic function of a conventional hood. In other words, the foldablehood 40 is configured to suction and exhaust odors or gas that isgenerated during cooking. A description of the foldable hood 40 will bedescribed later.

The exhaust pipe 65 is a flexible bellows, and extends in thelongitudinal direction. Further, a first end portion of the exhaust pipe65 is connected to a head portion 41, and a second end portion of theexhaust pipe 65 is coupled to a fixing block 66. The fixing block 66 isformed in a substantially hexahedral shape. Further, as illustrated inFIG. 1, the fixing block 66 is fixed by being fitted between a windowframe 15 a and a casement window 15 b. The reference numeral 17 in FIG.1 is a support block supporting the fixing block 66. Since the exhaustpipe 65 is fixed to a window 15, gas collected by the foldable hood 40may be exhausted to the outside via the exhaust pipe 65.

In addition, the exhaust mechanism generates an airflow inside theexhaust pipe 65 in a direction toward the outside, thereby inducing anegative pressure in the foldable hood 40. That is, by forming thenegative pressure inside the head portion 41 of the foldable hood 40,harmful gas or odors generated during cooking is guided to the exhaustpipe 65 via the head portion 41.

The exhaust mechanism includes a blower 67 and an air guiding pipe 67 a.The blower 67 is mounted outside the exhaust pipe 65. For example, theblower 67 may be disposed on a shelf 16 that is mounted in the kitchen11. As long as air can be supplied inside the exhaust pipe 65, aposition of the blower 67 may be variously changed. The blower 67generates compressed air and presses the compressed air to the airguiding pipe 67 a.

The air guiding pipe 67 a ejects the air supplied from the blower 67 tothe inside of the exhaust pipe 65. A spray nozzle 67 b is mounted on anend portion of the air guiding pipe 67 a. The air ejected via the spraynozzle 67 b is moved toward a downstream and exits to the atmosphere. Atthis time, a pressure of an upstream is lowered, and gas to be exhaustedis introduced into the inside of the exhaust pipe 65.

The exhaust mechanism illustrated in FIG. 4A includes a venturi portion65 c, and is formed in a shape in which the air guiding pipe 67 a isinserted into an internal space of the venturi portion 65 c and is bentto the downstream. As the air is ejected via the air guiding pipe 67 a,an internal pressure of the venturi portion 65 c is lowered, so that thegas to be exhausted is efficiently exhausted.

The air guiding pipe 67 a in FIG. 4b is formed in a shape in which theair guiding pipe 67 a is inserted inside the exhaust pipe 65 and is bentto the downstream.

In addition, the exhaust mechanism in FIG. 4C is provided with a streamguider 65 e. The stream guider narrows a flow cross-sectional area ofthe exhaust pipe 65 so that the gas to be exhausted is enabled to bedischarged at a faster speed. In addition, a plurality of air guidingpipes 67 a is disposed symmetrically on the downstream of the streamguider 65 e.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views for explaining a configuration and an operationof the foldable hood 40 that can be applied to the variable hoodapparatus 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG.5 is a view illustrating an unfolded shape of the foldable hood 40, andFIG. 6 is a view illustrating a folded shape of the foldable hood 40.

As illustrated in the drawings, the foldable hood 40 includes the headportion 41 having a shape of a hollow cylinder, and includes a wingportion 43 positioned below the head portion 41. The head portion 41 islinked to the end portion of the third arm 37 via the upper fixinghinges 41 a, and is also connected to the exhaust pipe 65. As thenegative pressure is formed inside the exhaust pipe 65, gas under thehead portion 41 is collected in the head portion 41, and the gas issuctioned into the exhaust pipe 65.

In addition, a plurality of lower fixing hinges 41 e is fixed to a lowerportion of the head portion 41. The lower fixing hinges 41 e are in aone-to-one correspondence with rotation hinges 43 e of split wings 43 a.In a state in which the lower fixing hinges 41 e are respectivelybrought into contact with the rotation hinges 43 e, other hinge pins 43f are connected, so that the split wings 43 a are coupled to the headportion 41.

The wing portion 43 includes a plurality of split wings 43 a. The splitwings 43 a all have the same size. Further, as described above, thesplit wings 43 a are connected to the lower fixing hinges 41 e by theother hinge pins 43 f, respectively. In a state in which each of thesplit wings 43 a is fully deployed upward, each of the split wings 43 amaintains a state in which a thickness surface of the split wing 43 a isin contact with another thickness surface of the adjacent split wing 43a. To this end, a protruding portion 43 c is formed on one thicknesssurface of each of the split wings 43 a, and a groove portion 43 d isformed on an opposite thickness surface of each of the split wings 43 a.

In a state in which the wing portion 43 is fully opened, the protrudingportion 43 c of each of the split wings 43 a is fitted into the grooveportion 43 d of each of the adjacent split wings 43 a. As such, sincethe protruding portion 43 c is inserted into the groove portion 43 d,the split wings 43 a are in close contact with each other and areprevented from being dislocated from each other under the action ofgravity.

When the user holds and dislocates any two split wings 43 a by hand inorder for folding the wing portion 43, other split wings 43 a are alsoseparated, and the split wings 43 a are moved downward by the action ofgravity and are in a state illustrated in FIG. 6.

The wing portion 43 may be fabricated from a light permeableheat-resistant glass, acrylic, or the like. Otherwise, as illustrated inFIG. 5, a border portion of the wing portion 43 may be fabricated fromstainless steel, and light transmission windows 43 b may be fixed to aninner side of the border portion. By using a light permeable material asdescribed above, a situation at a position below the foldable hood 40can be visually checked, even though the foldable hood 40 is lowered asfar as possible to a level directly above a cooking vessel.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views for explaining a configuration and an operationof another type of the foldable hood 40 that can be applied to thevariable hood apparatus 30 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Hereinafter, the same reference numerals described above indicate thesame members having the same functions.

The foldable hood 40 illustrated in FIG. 7 includes the head portion 41,fixing ribs 45 a, rotation ribs 45 c, rib fixing mechanisms, and aheat-resistant light permeable fabric 51.

The fixing ribs 45 a are members which are fixed to a peripheral portionof the head portion 41, and which extend in a radial direction and whichare spaced apart by predetermined intervals. Further, the fixing ribs 45a respectively have accommodating grooves 45 b. The accommodatinggrooves 45 b are grooves in which insertion portions 45 d of therotation ribs 45 c are respectively accommodated.

The rotation ribs 45 c are linear members which are connected to thefixing ribs 45 a via connecting pin 45 q, respectively, and which arerotatable in the up and down directions like umbrella ribs. Theinsertion portions 45 d are respectively formed on an end portion ofeach of the rotation ribs 45 c. The insertion portions 45 d are portionsinserted into the accommodating grooves 45 b, respectively. In a statein which the insertion portions 45 d are respectively inserted into theaccommodating grooves 45 b, the rotation ribs 45 c are connected to thefixing ribs 45 a by passing the connecting pins 45 q therethrough,respectively.

The heat-resistant light permeable fabric 51 is a known flexibleheat-resistant flame-retardant fabric that is attached to and fixed tobottom surfaces of both the fixing ribs 45 a and the rotation ribs 45 c.When the rotation ribs 45 c are unfolded, the heat-resistant lightpermeable fabric 51 is tightly unfolded like a waterproof fabric of anumbrella, and the heat-resistant light permeable fabric 51 guides thegas to be exhausted to the head portion 41.

Meanwhile, in a state in which the rotation ribs 45 c are rotatedupward, the rib fixing mechanisms serve to maintain the unfolded state.As illustrated in FIG. 8, the rib fixing mechanisms include locking pins45 f and springs 45 m. In addition, locking grooves 45 e arerespectively formed on a first side of each of the insertion portions 45d such that the rib fixing mechanisms are capable of being operated, andmounting space portions 45 p are respectively formed in the fixing ribs45 a.

Each of the locking grooves 45 e is a groove into which an end portionof each of the locking pins 45 f is respectively inserted, and each ofthe mounting space portions 45 p is a space in which each of the springs45 m and a portion of each of the locking pins 45 f are accommodated.Each of the mounting space portions 45 p corresponds to each of thelocking grooves 45 e.

The locking pins 45 f are pin-shaped members movable in an arrow cdirection or in a direction opposite to the arrow c direction, and havepin heads 45 g and spring locking portions 45 h. For example, the pinheads 45 g are handles for a user to pull respective locking pins 45 fin the arrow c direction. In addition, the spring locking portions 45 hare portions receiving an elastic force by the springs 45 m. The lockingpins 45 f receive the elastic force via the spring locking portions 45 hand are elastically supported in the direction opposite to the arrow cdirection, and the locking pins 45 f are fitted into the locking grooves45 e, respectively, so that the rotation ribs 45 c maintain the unfoldedstate.

The pin heads 45 g that protrude toward side portions of the fixing ribs45 a are pulled in the arrow c direction in order for folding therotation ribs 45 c, and the locking pins 45 f are separated from thelocking grooves 45 e. When the locking pins 45 f are separated, therotation ribs 45 c are folded downward by weight thereof. The rotationribs 45 c are pulled upward while the locking pins 45 f are pulled inthe arrow c direction in order for unfolding the folded rotation ribs 45c, and each of the locking grooves 45 e is positioned on an extendingline of each of the locking pins 45 f, and then the locking pins 45 fare released. When the locking pins 45 f are released, the locking pins45 f are respectively fitted into the locking grooves 45 e by the actionof the springs 45 m.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views for explaining a configuration of still anothertype of the foldable hood 40 that can be applied to the variable hoodapparatus 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The foldable hood 40 illustrated in FIG. 9 includes another head portion41, four other fixing ribs 45 a that are spaced apart from each other bypredetermined intervals, other rotation ribs 45 c linked to the otherfixing ribs 45 a via other connecting pins 45 q, respectively, and otherrib fixing mechanisms.

The rib fixing mechanisms are configured to enable the other rotationribs 45 c rotated upward to maintain the unfolded state, and includearcuate-shaped rods 46, ratchet fingers 46 a, locking tubes 47, and tubeholders 48.

Each of the arcuate-shaped rods 46 is an arcuate-shape member having apredetermined curvature. Further, a first end portion of each of thearcuate-shaped rods 46 is formed integrally with each of the otherrotation ribs 45 c, respectively, and a second end portion of each ofthe arcuate-shaped rods 46 is inserted into each of side portion holes41 f, respectively. The side portion holes 41 f are through-holes formedon a peripheral portion of the another head portion 41, and enable thearcuate-shaped rods 46 to pass therethrough, respectively. Each of thearcuate-shaped rods 46 is partially inserted inside the another headportion 41 via each of the side portion holes 41 f, respectively.

In addition, the ratchet fingers 46 a are respectively mounted on thearcuate-shaped rods 46. The ratchet fingers 46 a are members which arerotatably mounted on the arcuate-shaped rods 46 via finger shafts 46 b,respectively, and are configured to be locked on respective toothedportions 47 c, thereby preventing the other rotation ribs 45 c frombeing moved downward.

The locking tubes 47 are square pipe-shaped members fixed to an outerportion of the another head portion 41 via the tube holders,respectively, and the tooth portions 47 c are provided inside thelocking tubes 47, respectively. The toothed portions 47 c are portionslocked on the ratchet fingers 46 a, respectively. In a state in whicheach of the arcuate-shaped rods 46 is respectively fitted into passages47 a that are provided by the locking tubes 47, if the ratchet fingers46 a are not provided, the arcuate-shaped rods 46 are freely rotatablein an arrow g direction or in a direction opposite to the arrow gdirection when the other rotation ribs 45 c are rotated.

However, since the ratchet fingers 46 a are provided and the toothedportions 47 c are formed inside the locking tubes 47, the movement ofthe arcuate-shaped rods 46 in the arrow c direction is restricted. Inother words, when the other rotation ribs 45 c are unfolded, the otherrotation ribs 45 c may maintain the unfolded state.

The specific embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detailabove. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the specificembodiment. It would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in theart that various modifications to the present disclosure are possiblewithin the scope of the technical idea of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A variable hood apparatus comprising: a supportholder fixed to a wall; a rotation holder configured to be rotatablearound a vertical axis of rotation while being supported by the supportholder; an arm portion supported by the rotation holder and configuredto be capable of performing a three-dimensional movement; a foldablehood mounted on an end portion of the arm portion, the foldable hoodbeing configured to be unfolded while being used and to be folded whilebeing not used; an exhaust pipe which is connected to the foldable hoodand which extends to an outside; and an exhaust mechanism configured togenerate an airflow which is formed inside the exhaust pipe and which isin a direction toward the outside, thereby inducing a negative pressurein the foldable hood.
 2. The variable hood apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe support holder is provided with a vertical hole which extends in avertical direction and which has a predetermined inner diameter, whereinthe rotation holder comprises: a fitting shaft fitted into the verticalhole such that the fitting shaft is axially rotatable; and a supportbracket connected to the fitting shaft via a connector, the supportbracket being formed in a semicircular disk shape, and the supportbracket having a first through-hole and a plurality of secondthrough-holes disposed at equal angle intervals around the firstthrough-hole, wherein the arm portion comprises: a first arm supportedby the support bracket such that the first arm is rotatable up and down,the first arm having an extension end portion thereof provided with anarm connecting pin; a second arm linked to the arm connecting pin of thefirst arm and configured to be rotatable; and a third arm which isconnected to an end portion of the second arm via a joint portion andwhich extends in a longitudinal direction, the third arm having anextension end portion thereof coupled to the foldable hood, wherein anend portion of the first arm is formed with a support pin holecorresponding to the first through-hole, and is formed with an angle pinhole corresponding to the plurality of second through-holes, wherein thesupport pin hole enables a support pin to pass therethrough while thesupport pin hole and the first through-hole are aligned, and the anglepin hole enables an angle maintaining pin to pass therethrough while theangle pin hole and selected second through-hole are aligned.
 3. Thevariable hood apparatus of claim 1, wherein the exhaust pipe is aflexible bellows, an extension end portion of the exhaust pipe isprovided with a fixing block that is capable of being fitted into andfixed to a window frame, and the exhaust mechanism comprises a blowerand an air guiding pipe which is connected to the blower and insertedinto an inside of the exhaust pipe, the air guiding pipe beingconfigured to eject air supplied from the blower to the inside of theexhaust pipe.
 4. The variable hood apparatus of claim 3, wherein aventuri portion is further provided inside the exhaust pipe, and the airguiding pipe is disposed on a downstream of the venturi portion.
 5. Thevariable hood apparatus of claim 2, wherein the foldable hood comprises:a head portion linked to an end portion of the third arm and connectedto the exhaust pipe; and a wing portion connected to a lower portion ofthe head portion, the wing portion being configured to guide gas to beexhausted to the head portion by being unfolded while being used, andthe wing portion being folded while being not used.
 6. The variable hoodapparatus of claim 5, wherein the wing portion comprises a plurality ofsplit wings hinge-connected to the head portion and configured to berotatable up and down, the plurality of split wings being configuredsuch that opposite end portions in a side direction thereof are in closecontact with each other while being rotated upward, thereby maintainingan unfolded state.
 7. The variable hood apparatus of claim 5, whereinthe wing portion comprises: a plurality of fixing ribs which is fixed tothe head portion and which extends in a radial direction around the headportion, and which is spaced apart from each other by predeterminedintervals; a plurality of rotation ribs respectively pin connected tothe plurality of fixing ribs and configured to be rotatable up and down;a plurality of rib fixing mechanisms configured to enable the pluralityof rotation ribs to maintain an unfolded state when the plurality ofrotation ribs is rotated upward; and a heat-resistant light permeablefabric fixed to the plurality of fixing ribs and the plurality ofrotation ribs, the heat-resistant light permeable fabric beingconfigured to be unfolded while the plurality of rotation ribs isrotated upward, thereby guiding the gas to be exhausted to the headportion.
 8. The variable hood apparatus of claim 7, wherein theplurality of rib fixing mechanisms comprises: a plurality ofarcuate-shaped rods having a predetermined curvature and respectivelyfixed to the plurality of rotation ribs; a plurality of ratchet fingersrespectively mounted on the plurality of arcuate-shaped rods, theplurality of ratchet fingers being configured to be rotatable; and aplurality of locking tubes supported by the head portion and providing aplurality of passages through which the plurality of arcuate-shaped rodsrespectively passes, the plurality of locking tubes being configuredsuch that inner portions of the passages are respectively provided witha plurality of toothed portions, and the plurality of toothed portionsbeing configured to be locked on the plurality of ratchet fingers,respectively, such that the plurality of rotation ribs is prevented frombeing moved downward.